July is my birthday month. I’m not sure if it’s my introverted personality or mellowing with age but I don’t like making a big deal out of it. Instead as I shared last year around this time, I always get a bit quiet and full of introspection as my birthday approaches.
I’ve always preferred simple celebrations whether it’s a small family BBQ, catching up with a close friend over coffee, or taking a day away with my husband. Throughout the month, I also enjoy taking quiet moments for myself. I like to reflect on life, realign with my values, and check in with those most important to me.
This year my reflections feel a little different and my wants are really simple. Since I’m seven months pregnant for the first time during a record setting summer for high temperatures all I need to celebrate is cold water to lay in, a good book, and an endless supply of yummy food!
This July’s Reflections
This past year has been full of bittersweet moments as many firsts have passed for our whole family without my grandma. It’s also feels monumental as my husband and I prepare to become new parents.
I’m a questioner and a planner so I like to gather as much information as I can (often leading to an overwhelm) so I know what to expect. While there has been some comfort in research and gaining knowledge, this is one of those things in life you can’t really plan for and definitely can’t control. Our whole pregnancy has reinforced that lesson, probably giving us the best preparation for parenthood.
Last July, my reflections pondered what a good life means to me. This year, I’ve been thinking about what behaviors I’d like to model for my child and what traditions we’d like to carry forward as a family. Something that keeps popping up is taking the time to acknowledge and celebrate some of our accomplishments.
Like most people in our society, we tend to brush over meeting a goal and jump straight to focusing on the next thing on the list. We rarely take the time to bask in a moment of success before moving onto the next project. Which is unfortunate because that list is endless. It’s meant to be for us in a way because we hope to never stop progressing and growing whether in property developments or life long learning.
Since that’s never ending, it shouldn’t be a big deal to take some time to slow down and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment. It’s a practice I would like my children to be able to do. The only way to model that behavior is to learn to do it ourselves.
So this July, I’m taking time to celebrate some accomplishments from the last year that fall in line with our values. It’s easy to look at the day to day and feel like progress isn’t being made on some of our big goals but we often underestimate what can be done over time.
Some Accomplishments from the Last Year:
- We are growing our family and expecting our first baby – Pearl gets a human sibling this fall!
- We have made huge progress on our property mostly thanks to my husband’s vision and determination. This includes bringing our first farm animals onto it! Our American Guinea Hogs are happy to be put to work. They love foraging all day and helping clear the land.
- This is our first year participating in a CSA (community supported agriculture) with a local farm. Our weekly farm box has been wonderful and delicious! It’s just one step we’ve taken toward making food changes for our family’s health.
- I successfully grew beets in my garden after failing last year! That allows me to gain a little confidence and enjoy some yummy homegrown food!
- Last month marked an anniversary for the blog – I continuously blogged for a year straight, publishing two posts a week!
- As a couple we’ve been through a lot this past year. Though there have been ups, downs, and a lot of learning I’m so happy we’ve tackled things together and supported one another through grief, life scares, and establishing healthy boundaries.
- I’m on track for my best reading year yet and I’m still enjoying it!
Some Mindsets and Behaviors I’d Like to Work On:
My July reflections wouldn’t be complete without coming up with some things I’d like to improve on. Most tend to fall into the mindset or behavior categories. While they’re healthy or positive changes to make anytime, this year with motherhood on the horizon I’m extra motivated to live by example for my child.
- Slow down. This includes using new mantras or positive affirmations like telling myself I have enough time and enough energy to accomplish everything I want to.
- When looking into the unknown, I want to embrace it better. That means not jumping to worst case scenarios or conclusions.
- Maintain a supportive mindset first and foremost with my husband.
- Learn not to feel bad after telling someone no or upholding a boundary.
- Speak kinder to myself.
- Consider the examples I’m setting. Continue to live by my intentions, hopes, and values as often as possible.
- Acknowledge and celebrate small and large accomplishments. This means taking a beat and allowing myself to feel proud.
- Be in the moment or remain in the moment and enjoy the little things.
How do you practice reflections? What areas of your life do you hope to embrace or work on? Do you celebrate your accomplishments and if so how?
